Airman (originally Air Man) is a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

, comic-book

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

first published by Centaur Publications in 1940, during the period fans and historians call the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

. He first appeared in ''Keen Detective Funnies #23'' (Aug. 1940), in a story by artist Harry Sahle and an unconfirmed writer, generally credited as George Kapitan. ''Keen Detective Funnies'' was cancelled after issue #24, but Centaur published two more stories in ''Detective Eye Comics'' #1 and 2 (Nov-Dec 1940) before pulling the plug on the character. After Centaur Publications went out of business, Airman lapsed into the public domain. In the early 1990s, he was revived by Malibu Comics as a character in the series '' Protectors'', and starred in a namesake,

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spin-off. An Airman story from ''Keen Detective Funnies'' #24 has been reprinted in ''Men of Mystery Comics'' #63 by

AC Comics AC Comics (formerly known as Paragon Publications and Americomics) is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.

Centaur Comics

The original Air Man is Drake Stevens, son of Claude Stevens, a renowned

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. When his father is senselessly murdered, the police are unable to bring the killer to justice. Outraged, Drake puts together a costume consisting of a pair of gas-filled wings and a jet-pack, establishing the crime-fighting identity of Airman. He also utilizes guns and bombs in his quest for justice. In one story, he fights pirates aboard a "Ghost Ship".

Malibu Comics

The new version of Airman debuted in contemporary times. His origin is nearly identical to the original incarnation, except in this version, his father is named Edward and the murderer is revealed to be a supervillain named Captain Klegg. His suit is also different from the original. In addition to a jet pack and the wings on the old suit, the new suit boasts motorized talons in the boots and gloves, as well as a utility belt and a specially designed cowl that gives him telescopic vision. In the Protectors universe, the heroes have gone into hiding following a disastrous battle at the town of Brinkston. They are drawn together to face Mr Monday, and the Protectors are formed. While on the team, Drake is often insecure because of his relative inexperience. He is a friend and an ally of Thresher, the son of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

and a mermaid. He rescues the hero in the pages of his own series from the clutches of the Conqueror, a supervillain minion of major Protectors foe the Great Question.

Dynamite Entertainment

In 2008, the character was brought back by Dynamite Entertainment as part of their '' Project Superpowers'' storyline. This version of the character matches the original Golden Age version, but is brought from the World War II–era into modern times as part of the storyline.

Footnotes

References

Jess Nevins' Golden Age Directory
* ttp://toonopedia.com/airman.htm Air Manat

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on March 15, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Airman (Comics) Centaur Publications titles Centaur Publications characters AC Comics titles Malibu Comics titles Protectors characters Golden Age superheroes Aviation comics 1940 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1940